Rugby Runner

by Siggins, Gerard;

  He had worked out that to fit in all the training sessions, games and fitness work around his school work and sleep he would have to have a twenty-five-hour day. The only way around it was to get up half an hour earlier and get a five kilometre run done before breakfast.

  Eoin enjoyed the peace, plugged into his music player as he jogged around the inside wall of the school. Living in a boarding school meant you got very little time on your own and Eoin found he was able to relax and concentrate on his thoughts while on a run.

  He paused as he passed the Rock, the landmark beside the stream where he had encountered several of the characters who had ensured his first three years in Castlerock had been such an adventure; Eoin had a mysterious ability to see and talk to ghosts, which he had first discovered on a school visit to the Aviva Stadium. Though it had been a real surprise – a shock, really – when he met his first ghost, Eoin had got used to meeting spirits, both in Castlerock and in other places.

  He hadn’t time to check if one of his favourite spirits, Brian, was lurking in the bushes, but he hoped they would meet up soon so he could tell him all about his summer exploits, and the Russian ghost he had met up with.

  On he jogged, checking his progress on the gadget strapped to his wrist until he had completed the five kilometres. He warmed down with a few stretches and was just finishing up when Mr Finn came striding across the field to meet him. Mr Finn was an old friend of his grandfather, now retired from teaching at Castlerock, but still around to help and advise the staff and pupils.

  ‘Good morning, Eoin, you’re up with the lark today,’ he called.

  ‘Good morning, Mr Finn, yes I’m trying to get a run in before breakfast every day. I can’t seem to find the time to do all that I have to.’

  ‘Yes, I hear you are Junior captain this year, and congratulations on your marvellous displays in London. Dixie filled me in on it all. He’s very proud of you, you know.’

  Eoin blushed, as he always did when someone praised him.

  ‘I’m taking your year for history up to Christmas as poor Mr Coghlan hasn’t been well. I hope you hand up some interesting essays!’

  ‘I’ll try,’ said Eoin, ‘but I can’t promise anything. Give me a few interesting topics and I’ll give you an interesting essay.’

  Mr Finn smiled. ‘Well, I’ll do my best too. See you in the afternoon.’

  Eoin raced back to the dorm to dress for classes.

  Rory was still in bed, staring at the ceiling.

  ‘You OK, Ror?’ Eoin asked.

  ‘Ah, just a bit fed up, to be honest,’ Rory replied.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘It’s that letter from Ted. If I had a chance of getting back into the Leinster panel I’d have got one too. They’ve already written me off.’

  Eoin shook his head. ‘You said it yourself, Ror, a few good wins and they’ll have to take notice. You were one of the top six scrum-halves in Leinster just a few weeks ago, and one of them now has a broken arm. You’re playing on a school team that’s one of the favourites for the Junior Cup, so you’ll get noticed. Now get up and let’s get double French out of the way.’

  Chapter 5

  School went quickly, with lots of chat about the new rugby season from all the teachers. The final period of the day was History, with Mr Finn.

  He explained why he was filling in, and that while he would keep them up to date with their curriculum, he would be concentrating on ensuring they all finished their Junior Cert history project before Christmas.

  ‘This year you can take a much wider approach to the subject, and they suggest you can write about how people lived in the past – what they ate, how they played, the clothes they wore.’

  Eoin’s ears pricked up. He loved studying history, but as he was nervous about how he was going to fit the project work in, he was alert to anything that might save him time. He put up his hand.

  ‘Does that mean we could write about rugby, sir?’

  ‘Well… I suppose so. Perhaps about the origins of different sports, or how they evolved… I’ll have a think about that. Have you anything in mind?’

  ‘I heard a bit from my grandad about how rugby was invented and thought that would make a good project,’ Eoin replied. Then he smiled to himself, and thought ‘Between Dixie, Brian and that book I could finish that long before the deadline. Full marks, Eoin.’

  Mr Carey took the first training session after school and told the boys that although he would be in charge of the Junior Cup team, he would also be bringing in a team of assistants to help prepare them for the competition.

  He told the rest of the squad that Eoin would be their captain, which was cheered almost unanimously. Only Richie Duffy, skulking at the back, kept his mouth shut.

  Eoin introduced Charlie Bermingham to Mr Carey, who was delighted to hear that he might be a solution to the problem caused by Charlie Johnston’s emigration. Sure enough, the new boy settled in very well and even scored the winning try in the close A’s v B’s match that rounded off the session.

  ‘Wow, that was a tough game,’ Charlie said to Eoin as they walked off. ‘We wouldn’t go in as hard in training at St Osgur’s.’

  ‘Yeah, well, it’s the first session. The guys are mad keen to impress the coach. It won’t always be like that.’

  Eoin spotted that Dylan had been watching the session from the sideline and called over to him.

  ‘What’s up Dyl?’

  ‘I decided to sit this one out, but I think I’ll try some light training on Thursday. I don’t have any headaches so I should be grand.’

  Eoin’s face darkened. ‘Don’t be stupid Dylan, the doctor said you need six weeks off – it’s barely been three since you were injured.’ Dylan stood up to Eoin. ‘I’ll be OK, don’t you worry about it,’ he snarled, before turning his back and stomping off towards the dorm.

  ‘What’s up with him?’ asked Charlie.

  ‘Ah, he’ll be fine. He got a bang on the head and he’s supposed to avoid contact sports for six weeks. He’s not a great spectator though.’

  ‘You’re a bit of a star here, aren’t you?’ said Charlie.

  ‘I suppose,’ blushed Eoin. ‘Rugby’s a big deal at the school and I suppose I’ve done OK. Winning the cups was huge, but it can be a pain with all the first years pointing at you all the time.’

  ‘That’s not a big price to pay,’ laughed Charlie. ‘Maybe you could get the first years to do your homework for you, too.’

  Chapter 6

  Next morning, out on his morning jog, Eoin called in to see an old friend; Brian Hanrahan was a long-dead rugby player who had been a great help to Eoin in many ways since he met him in his first term at Castlerock.

  Brian usually turned up at the Aviva Stadium, the rugby ground on Lansdowne Road where he had been killed playing a cup match almost a century before. But he often called out to visit Eoin at the school, and the Rock was the spot they would meet.

  Eoin slipped into the bushes and sure enough there was his pal.

  ‘Gosh, Eoin, you’ve grown six inches since I saw you last,’ Brian laughed.

  ‘I know; my mother keeps saying I’ve had a stretch. My feet are too long for the bed in the dorm.’

  ‘That’s no harm. You’ll be able to look after yourself better against those Munster boyos. Now tell me about what you’ve been up to.’

  Eoin filled Brian in on solving the mystery of the jewelled egg and what he and Dixie had decided to do with it, and the victory at Twickenham. He also explained the busy rugby schedule ahead of him.

  ‘And because the Rugby World Cup is going to be held in Ireland in a couple of years, they’ve decided to hold a mini World Cup for Under 16s as a sort-of dry run for the organisers. There’ll be teams from all over – Italy, New Zealand, Australia. It would be amazing to get on the Irish team,’ said Eoin. ‘I’d have a good shot at it I suppose.’

  ‘Well going out for a run at the crack of dawn is showing very impressive commitment. I’d pick you like
a shot!’

  ‘Thanks, Brian, I wish you were on the selection panel. Any excitement around here?’

  The Rock was a magical part of Castlerock, and several other ghosts had appeared there over the years.

  ‘Well, there was a strange-looking chap here recently, he wasn’t very talkative, but he said his name was Will. He was dressed like someone from two hundred years ago, with a wig and buckles on his shoes. He seemed a bit distressed, but he wouldn’t tell me what was wrong.’

  ‘That sounds weird, I hope he doesn’t make a reappearance. We’ve enough to do. Which reminds me, this thing shows when I stop – and for how long,’ he said, pointing to the fitness monitor on his wrist. ‘The Leinster coach will be asking me to explain and I have no plan to get into that with him!’

  Eoin waved farewell, finished off his run, and after a quick change dashed down to the dining hall for breakfast.

  Dylan was waiting for him, and he was angry.

  ‘Did you tell Carey about the injury?’ he snarled.

  ‘No, of course not,’ Eoin replied.

  ‘Well, no one else knew about it, so how did he know? He’s told me I can’t play in any of the mini-league games,’ he went on. ‘That means I’ve no chance of getting picked by Munster! Thanks a lot, pal,’ sneered Dylan, before storming out.

  Poor Eoin stood stunned, holding his tray, while half the school stared at him. Although he was the star of the school’s rugby team, he hated the attention that went with it and to be stared at like this was very embarrassing.

  ‘Are you OK, Eoin?’ asked Charlie.

  ‘Yeah, just a bit rattled – Dylan went off on a rant there. He thinks I told Carey about his concussion.’

  Charlie went red, and dropped his fork.

  ‘Oh no, I think I must have let that slip when Mr Carey had a chat with me last night. I didn’t realise he wasn’t supposed to know.’

  Eoin sighed. ‘Don’t worry about it, Charlie, Dylan’s always been a hot-head. He thinks he’s going to miss out on playing for Munster over this, but it’s probably best that the coach knows. I was thinking about telling him myself.’

  Sure enough, Dylan wasn’t picked on the school team for the first game of the season, and he was difficult to live with in the dorm. Eoin had little time to socialise, anyway, but he hated the tense atmosphere when the two of them were together. Once, he had started to explain what had happened, but realised he didn’t want to drop Charlie in it so he stopped.

  The first game was against Dodder Woods College, whose team included Marcus McCord, an obnoxious bully with whom Eoin had had a run-in at Leinster camp. They exchanged nods before the game, but there was no warmth between them.

  Castlerock were too strong for their opponents, and ran out 22-5 winners. As they walked off McCord sidled up to Eoin and muttered. ‘Did you get a letter from Leinster? The other guys here did.’

  ‘Yeah, there’s an interpro coming up,’ replied Eoin, not keen to extend the conversation.

  ‘Hmmm,’ replied McCord. ‘They must have lost my address. My godfather is the boss of the main Leinster sponsors so I’ll ask him to give it to them.’

  Eoin shrugged, disgusted that any player would do such a thing.

  ‘See you there, then,’ grinned McCord.

  Chapter 7

  Sure enough, Marcus McCord’s name was there in the squad of 45 when Eoin opened his post a few days later. Because he was captain, Ted had sent him the full list, and a few observations on how he was thinking about selection. Their first two interprovincials would be held in Limerick over the following weekend, and the last one in Dublin a week later.

  Rory was wrong – he was in the party – and JD Muldowney and Mikey O’Reilly had both won a call-up too. Eoin was delighted to see Charlie Bermingham had been selected as well, taking the other Charlie’s place for the province as well as the school. The new boy had settled in quickly and had impressed his team-mates with his willingness to work hard and never shirk a tackle.

  Once the word got around about the selections, Dylan was beside himself with anger. He phoned home twice a day to see if he had got a letter from Munster, but his mother wasn’t able to give him good news. Alan tried to talk to him, but he was so annoyed he just blanked everyone.

  ‘I don’t understand what his problem is,’ Alan complained to Eoin. ‘He’s got a serious injury and Mr Carey just wants to make sure he doesn’t do himself more damage.’

  ‘Ah, but you know Dyl,’ sighed Eoin. ‘He gets in a tizzy over silly stuff. He’ll cop on eventually.’

  But Dylan didn’t cop on any time soon. Mid-term break arrived and he still hadn’t made up with his friends; he’d simmered down a bit and wasn’t shouting at Eoin anymore, but they still couldn’t discuss rugby or teams without Dylan blowing up or storming off. Eoin was travelling to the interpros in Limerick on the Leinster bus so they didn’t have to endure their usual habit of going home together.

  It was great to meet up with most of the lads he had played with over the summer, and to relive the great memories they had made together. The coach, Ted, too, was in a good mood and keen to ensure they were successful in the new competition. He stood up at the front of the bus before they left the Leinster headquarters in Dublin.

  ‘It’s only a few weeks since you lifted that lovely trophy over in Twickenham. Now I want you to concentrate on making even more history. This is the first interpro series for your age and Leinster very much want you to win it. Victory and some good performances will also ensure that we get the majority of players on the Ireland team for the World Cup, so please understand what a wonderful opportunity you have this weekend.’

  The boys listened carefully, and cheered when Ted finished. Everyone had heard about the forthcoming World Cup and realised how close they were to winning a green jersey. They had all been working hard since the summer and were very confident they could do it all again.

  Charlie and Eoin sat with Killian Nicholson, a player from Charlie’s old school, St Osgur’s. He had been lucky to make the final squad for the London tournament, but had trained hard and when his chance came he took it spectacularly, and was one of the stars of the final win over Ulster.

  ‘How are you enjoying Castlerock, Charlie?’ grinned Killian. ‘Cold porridge for breakfast?’

  ‘Ah no, the grub’s not bad at all,’ Charlie laughed. ‘I could do with seconds sometimes, but it’s decent enough. It’s weird not going home after school though. I was a bit homesick for a few days but they’re mostly a nice bunch.’

  Eoin laughed. ‘Mostly? That’s not great gratitude for being allowed to become a bit more civilised. The only reason he got porridge the first week was because he hadn’t learned how to use a knife and fork!’

  Killian laughed while Charlie shaped to throw Eoin a few jokey digs on the upper arm. ‘I’d say your rugby’s improved though?’ Killian asked. ‘I’d love to be able to go for a run when I wanted, and you guys train a lot more than we do at Osgur’s. We have to get two buses to the pitches we play on.’

  Eoin nodded. ‘Yeah, that’s one really good thing, I suppose. The teachers are all mad keen on rugby too, so we get a bit of leeway coming up to a big game. The school goes wild when we win anything, so there’s lots of good support.’

  The bus pulled into the University of Limerick and the squad collected their bags before they were shown into a big hall. The local organiser, Persse McGarrigle, explained the weekend’s programme to them, which involved a game the next afternoon against Connacht, and a second, against Munster, on Sunday morning. It didn’t leave time for anything else except rugby.

  Afterwards, Ted called them together and explained his plan to play two different sets of players in these first two games. ‘I don’t like the set up for this competition,’ he explained. ‘I think it’s too much to ask you to play big games back-to-back, so that’s why we’ve brought a bigger squad here. I may use some people as replacements over both games, but no one will play more than eighty minutes. But n
o matter who plays, remember this – I want two wins before we head home for the decider next weekend.’

  Chapter 8

  The players shared double rooms, so Eoin and Rory took one together while Killian and Charlie caught up on the news from St Osgur’s. Rory was nervous, and having been cut from the squad for the London trip he knew this would be his second – and only – chance of getting into the Leinster set-up. Eoin knew Ted had left Rory on the bench on the side to play against Connacht, so he tried to distract him from the game.

  ‘Will I be in tomorrow or Sunday, do you think?’ Rory asked, five times in the space of half an hour. ‘Maybe I won’t even be in the match-day squad at all.’

  Eoin shrugged, unable to give away team secrets until Ted told him it was OK to do so.

  They wandered down to the hall for a bite to eat, and met up with several of the boys Eoin had played with and against the previous summer.

  ‘Madden!’ came a roar from across the hall, and over strode the Ulster captain, Paddy O’Hare. ‘I was hoping you’d have broken your toe with that huge kick, and we wouldn’t see you this week!’ he laughed.

  ‘Not at all, sure these toes are made of iron,’ Eoin chuckled back.

  ‘What sort of team have you got down,’ asked Paddy.

  ‘We’ve a few changes from the summer – Charlie’s emigrated to Australia for starters – but the guys who’ve come in are pretty good too. Is Sam around?’

  ‘Aye, he’s upstairs fast asleep. I don’t know why he needs his bed so often. He’s in it more than he’s out of it.’

  The boys chatted for a while, exchanging banter with other lads as they passed by. Their talk turned to the forthcoming Mini World Cup, and who might win a place in the Ireland team.